Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best

28. Perry Mason

The gritty reboot has become the last refuge of the scoundrel over recent years. Perry Mason in the 1950s was a gentile courtroom drama starring Raymond Burr as the titular lawyer. He’d investigate a case, defend an innocent client, verbally spar with his legal rivals, and we’d all go home happy.

Perry Mason 2020 is a down on his luck private investigator in 1930s L.A. The Mason origin story we’ve not really been waiting for will give us the scoop as to how this gumshoe transcended all manner of personal and societal woes to become the quick witted defender of justice we once enjoyed.

In fairness, this is a property that could handle a dark reimagining. The original Mason is somewhat of a blank canvas of whom we knew little; this version is ably fleshed out and well played by Matthew Rhys, even if the sheer misery they pile on the poor guy gets a bit much.

It’s a bit try-hard in parts - they go for the grizzliest plots imaginable in an effort to distance it from your grandaddy’s Perry Mason - but it’s certainly entertaining, and a visual treat.